Soybean plantings condition deteriorated in the USA over the past week — USDA

As of August 18, 68% of soybeans in the US fields started setting pods vs. 90% last year, USDA reports.

On average over five years, 85% of soybeans in the US were at the R3 (Beginning Pod) growth stage at the reporting date. 92% of plantings vs. 99% are in R2 (Full Bloom) stage and 96% on average over the past five years.

Crops condition on the reporting date was as followed:

• excellent — 9% of plantings (16% in the comparative period of 2018);
• good — 44% (49%);
• fair — 33% (24%);
• poor — 10% (8%).

The data in the report represents 18 States planted 95% of the 2018 soybean acreage.

Karen Braun, Global Agriculture Columnist at Thomson Reuters, noted that such poor condition of crops was not even observed in the dryland of Nebraska.

#Soybeans in northeast Nebraska. 5 samples averaging 1569 pods in a 3x3' plot. A 965 is not pictured. That 3000-pod yield was on 10 inch rows. Only the 828 irrigated. Only two of the five fields still with a couple blooms. Last year 1350 in this district. #pftour19 pic.twitter.com/qou6usZghR

— Karen Braun (@kannbwx) August 19, 2019

Previously reported that by August 18 corn plantings' condition in the United States deteriorated. Thus, 10% of areas were in excellent condition vs. 20% last year.